Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

news.ycombinator.com

601–610 of 769 posts

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#601
I've been building small games on and off over the last decade

Started taking it a bit more seriously over the last 3 months and I've started building a specific game that I'm slowly building out

It's a top down ARPG called Mechstain where the player creates and pilots voxel based mechs

Instead of traditional gear, your mech has a physical voxel footprint that you the player have to fit weapons and components inside

Your job is to manage space, power and mass, what you can fit and power directly becomes your stats and abilities, essentially a bin packing problem

Basically take Diablo 2 and remix it with Kerbal Space Program, still fleshing out the various systems, but I'm really enjoying the process of slowly designing systems, iterating on it and fleshing it out

It's quite fun taking thoughts I've been noodling on for years and trying to figure out if they synergise with what I'm looking at and do they provide interesting player decisions

Recently onboarded a 3d artist and it's really making things look a lot better

If anyone has experience lighting this sort of game, I'd love to talk to them, still trying to figure that out =)

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#602

My hobby is organizing in-person meetups for random people to get together, chat and make friends. Barely structured, if at all. I've found this rewarding and ended up making friends this way. You have to accept that 5-15% of the people who would show up to something like this are genuine weirdos you probably don't want to be around. And another 10% at any given meetup are autistic or neuro-divergent but well-meaning…

> You have to accept that 5-15% of the people who would show up to something like this are genuine weirdos you probably don't want to be around. Yep, thats me.

We all find different people weird. You just need to find the weirdos you vibe with.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#603
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While there is often a "normal" (bell-curve fitting) distribution for individual factors, putting them together can be counter-intuitive. > Even when considering just three dimensions, fewer than 5% of pilots were “average” in all. [1] I would guess many/most people probably think they fall into either (1) the normal bucket or (変) the weird/fringe bucket. Either "I am pretty normal" or "I am an outsider". How many th…

Curious how that character 変 made it in there. Is that a typo for 2?

I thought it was an aposite joke. A, "you're local weirdo, or you, might count in a foreign language".

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#604

I got myself involved with a nonprofit local group preserving local pioneer era apple trees. They've been DNA testing and cataloging the trees, and had all the info stashed away in google drive and onedrive folders. The founder was looking to step back so they asked me if I wanted to step up as project lead, which I did. I took the info and organized it into a nice wiki-style site with maps and descriptions so everyo…

I have done similar grafting experiments, although at present I am navigating a change in motivation. I got into apples through cider, but gave up alcohol this year. (As an aside, this was a long time coming and absolutely worth some small sacrifices!)

While I’m interested in heritage apples, I think it’s probably more important to find and cultivate wild apples showing attributes that can keep them hardy in 21st century climate. An apple that thrived over a century ago depended on conditions that are different today and are continuing to change.

Some cool people active in this space include:

- https://gnarlypippins.com/6th-pomological-exhibition-high-hi...

- https://www.mofga.org/trainings/annual-events/seed-swap-and-...

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#605
Started pottery (if that's niche anymore) about 4 years ago, my wife wanted to take a class together.

Now I'm a teacher! Which is a hobby in itself, I have learned so much from having to teach and explain it.

Combine it with some non-niche hobbies my son and I enjoy together and boom. https://imgur.com/a/aJqvVVw

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#606
Jogging isn’t niche, but after being sedentary for ten years I had to start doing something. When I was young I could run a 7 minute mile which was nothing to brag about. Now at 50+ that seems like an impossibility. I’ve been doing walk/jog intervals for almost a year and I’m getting better, and focusing on not blowing out my knees.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#607
What I rarely read about as hobby but I really enjoy is touch! Taking massage/therapy classes, like lomi-lomi, craniosacral, acupressure, shiatsu, etc. -- plenty of great courses available. They're typically aimed at professionals since it is "under-explored" as a hobby, but well worth it as self experience. Not only the receiving but also the giving during the training(s), plus all the chances to give nice touch experiences to your friends and family! How many bodies have you deeply touched in your life?

Another niche hobby of mine is constellations groups: you meet with others to simulate and explore a problem somebody within the group is facing; a bit like impro theatre but real-life issues. Very interesting and doesn't require any skills, you just "do". I often just go and participate as a viewer: Better than cinema!

I also like NVC (non-violent communication) classes and trainings. It's a hobby but a bit more effort, you spend time with other likeminded people, learn something about the inner functioning of others, plus it improves my communication and conflict skills, both in personal and business areas.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#608
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While there is often a "normal" (bell-curve fitting) distribution for individual factors, putting them together can be counter-intuitive. > Even when considering just three dimensions, fewer than 5% of pilots were “average” in all. [1] I would guess many/most people probably think they fall into either (1) the normal bucket or (変) the weird/fringe bucket. Either "I am pretty normal" or "I am an outsider". How many th…

Curious how that character 変 made it in there. Is that a typo for 2?

it's a Japanese word for "weird". I'm guessing that OP is a bit of an Otaku (aka "obsessed with Japan") -- which is either ironic or completely appropriate.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting niche hobbies?

#609

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean most people go to parties to close deals?

> Do you mean most people go to parties to close deals? It sounds like the concept of social/civic organizations caught you by surprise.

Idk I just don’t see it like that I guess. Never really closed a deal at a party :/ I just get drunk and enjoy the music
Post reply on HN